Handling the Unexpected

If the Electric Power Steering (EPS) System Indicator Comes On

~1min read

Reasons for the indicator to come on

  • Comes on when there is a problem with the EPS system.
  • If you depress the accelerator pedal repeatedly to increase the engine speed while the engine is idling, the indicator comes on, and sometimes the steering wheel becomes harder to operate.
  • Comes on when EPS steering angle center point memory is lost. This could be due to a number of problems to include: battery disconnect, main fuse blow, low battery causing reset of the EPS system, wire damage to EPS harness. Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), VSA OFF, Collision Mitigation Braking SystemTM (CMBSTM)*, and low tire pressure/TPMS* indicators also come on with EPS indicator.

Models with driver information interface

The Drive Carefully Systems Initializing... message appears on the driver information interface.

What to do when the indicator comes on

  • Stop the vehicle in a safe place and restart the engine.

    If the indicator comes on and stays on, immediately have your vehicle inspected by a dealer.

  • If the EPS indicator, VSA indicator, VSA OFF indicator, CMBSTM indicator*, and low tire pressure/TPMS indicator* come on simultaneously, you need to calibrate the VSA and EPS systems. Drive at a speed of more than 20 km/h for less than 10 seconds to calibrate the VSA and EPS systems. If the indicators come on and stay on, park your vehicle in a safe place, turn off and restart the engine, then repeat the above operation.

    If the indicators still come on and stay on, immediately have your vehicle inspected by a dealer.

Test yourself

A quick Honda Civic quiz: every answer comes with an explanation and a link to the manual page.